Do you desperately want to run a decent marathon but don’t have the time to trudge through endless training 8 days a week?

‘Not enough time’ is the number one reason runners quit a marathon program or don’t even get started in the first place.

The race itself will be over in just a few hours, but the months of painful preparation presents the biggest source of fear and doubt for most of us.

You already know that you need to find a reliable marathon program to follow.

You've probably already looked at many of the dozens that you can download for free from the Internet, and maybe you winced at the idea of running between 4 and 8 times a week (yes, that means double sessions on some days!)

Want to know what happens when you try to fit in 5 runs a week?

Inevitably skip sessions because you're physically not recovering between sessions

Get injured because you're putting your body through the wringer 5 days a week

Feel bad because you have to skip sessions due to other commitments

Lose motivation because you've 'got' to get out for another tedious run

But we're told that to run a marathon we HAVE to put ourselves through this ordeal if we're going to be suitably prepared.

Maybe you look at ditching a few of the runs, so you don't have to spend every spare moment away from your family or laid up on the couch barely able to move.

But you still want results!

You want to be the best you can be, to eek out every last ounce of potential, without it ending up in divorce.

Well the good news is that you don't have to compromise

What if I were to tell you that with 'just' 3 runs a week you could get yourself into BETTER marathon shape than if you were out there chewing up the tarmac 5 days a week?

That by focusing your energy on QUALITY rather than sheer QUANTITY, and giving your body plenty of RECOVERY, paying attention to your DIET and CORE, you can get far better results than the conventional approach.

The Intelligent Marathon program coaches you through ALL the aspects of preparing for a marathon, not just tell you how many miles you should be doing this week.

What's so special about the iMarathon?

Let's get one thing straight, there are no short cuts when it comes to training for a marathon. You have to be prepared to put in the graft, find your physical limits and then go beyond them.

That's not in question here, and if you're looking for the 'ultimate marathon hack', stay on the couch and watch it on the telly.

I just happen believe that 'not having enough time' shouldn't stand in your way of achieving your ambition. You still need to make sacrifices because that is a part of the marathon running deal. But by chopping out the dead wood 'time on your feet' filler sessions, you not only do just as well, you actually run stronger.

The iMarathon shifts the focus away from sheer volume, and places it firmly on quality.

By focusing all of your energy on just 3 targeted runs a week, and allowing your body sufficient time to recover, we achieve 2 important things:

Improved speed endurance

Fewer injuries caused by over training

You'll learn how every session is like a piece of the jigsaw, and has a part to play in getting you match fit.

You'll eliminate 'junk miles' that do little more than plump up the ego as you join in talk about how many miles you've covered this week.

By learning about and then combining threshold runs, Continuous Hill sessions, intervals, long runs and race pace practice, you gradually condition your body over the 16 weeks to hang onto your goal race pace for the full 26.2 miles.

And did I mention the private coaching group?

Once you're inside the program, you'll see the invitation to join the private Facebook coaching group.

Some runners join the iMarathon JUST to gain access to this group, as it's grown to become a self-supporting community.

The only people who get to see the content are runners who have purchased the iMarathon, iHalf or i10 Project.

This means that not only will you be able to get advice and tips from runners who have previously completed the program, you'll meet other runners following the exact same program, possibly even training for the exact same marathon.

This is HUGELY powerful for motivation, as you'll never have those days where you're left feeling that you're the only one going through this.

The support is unreal, and of course I'm in there personally, answering YOUR questions, which will give you invaluable peace of mind.

What other runners are saying...

“I followed the marathon programme for my second marathon and managed to knock an hour off my previous time to come home in 3hrs 45mins. The programme gave me the mental strength to dig deep when the going got tough and even quitting crossed my mind. An additional advantage to the programme is the support from the interaction with other members via Facebook and George's emails are always interesting and informative. A fantastic programme that suits all levels and all abilities that can work around even those with a busy or unconventional lifestyle”

- Rory MacCarthy

“I came to your workshop and bought the iMarathon as a third and last ditched attempt to do a marathon. The previous two attempts had ended in injury at about 16 miles with a long enforced running-free period with lots of physio and a huge amount of frustration.

I simply wondered whether I had it in me. Being 47 and a relatively latecomer to any sports I wondered whether I should just stick to a half marathon.

Instead the program gave me a structure with specific instruction not to do too many miles.

Looking back, I had clearly added too many extra runs thinking more would strengthen me and did not heed the need for rest time. This time I also did the additional exercises which helped strengthen without putting extra strain on my tendons.

This meant that I got to the start line for the first time! I had such a fantastic day and I remained on a high for weeks. I was in the last pen to start with all the weird and huge costumes around me. It did mean a slower start than I expected but I smiled all the way as proven by the official photos!

I completed it in 4 hours and 39 minutes with not a single part of me injured. Tired, but not in pain and ready to meet my much needed girly support for champagne ! Not bad as my goal was 4.30

I think it will remain my favourite day this year, Thank you George!”

- Alison Boyland

I followed your intelligent marathon programme to a PB of 3.41 in the Kildare marathon in May this year. My previous best was 3.58 in Dublin 2010. I had been on a plateau and all of my marathons seemed to be in or around 4 hours. It didn’t seem to matter how hard I worked I just wasn’t getting much faster.

I really enjoyed the programme including the hill repeats, interval sessions (even though I did find them tough) as it was not something I had encorporated into my training much previously. I felt much fitter and stronger at the end of the programme and enjoyed the experience."

- Martin Geraghty

“My biggest challenge was trying to get my marathon times down. I was always unsure of other marathon programs & they seemed to lack so many details which for me provoked more questions than answers. So in the back of my mind I always wondered if I was doing everything correctly.

Very quickly the iMarathon program helped me overcome all these unanswered questions.

I understood what I needed to do to improve my times & had complete guidance with videos, blogs, info & access to the writer of the program to ask questions if I didn’t understand anything or if something was a little unclear.

After using the iMarathon program my PB improved by 14 mins. The next marathon improved by an additional 15 mins. I am hoping to knock another 16 minutes off my PB by the end of the year & I am confident that I will.

The single most important thing I learned was to stay focused & listen to my body. If you that do the results will follow.”

- Alvin Sweeney

The Intelligent Marathon Guarantee

I'm absolutely positive that you're going to love the iMarathon program, and I'm willing to let you try out the program absolutely risk free.

After your purchase, take a full 30 days to get stuck into the training, download all the program content from our members site, join the private coaching group on Facebook (that everybody raves about) and get a feel for how the whole thing works.

If after 30 days you don't think that it's right for you, or you've bitten off more than you can chew, all you need to do is email me your PayPal receipt and I'll organise a full refund.

"Frequently Asked Questions"

What do I do if I don't understand something in the program?

I've got you covered. I think the program itself is pretty comprehensive, but occasionally questions do arise. Perhaps something needs clarifying, or you want to know how you could adapt it due to injury or missed sessions. No Problem! We have a very active private Facebook coaching group that you will get free lifetime access to. Not only am I in there answering questions and taking part in discussions every day, dozens of other runners who have already completed the program are waiting to answer questions and support you as well.

Can I interact with other runners following the same program?

Yep, that's where the private Facebook group really comes into its own. There are always other runners at some stage of the iMarathon, so you can easily buddy up with them and compare training notes.

Is the iMarathon suitable for beginners?

Not complete beginners, no. If you can't currently run for an hour non-stop (even VERY slowly), my recommendation would be to grab yourself a copy of my Beginner's Luck program and do that until you're confident you can run for an hour.

Speed isn't important at this stage - that'll come later - but you'll need a base to start from.

If you can run for an hour already but still don't feel confident tackling speed work, check out my 8 week Running Apprentice program which will teach you how each of the different training systems work.

Other than that, the iMarathon will help you round a marathon if your target time is anywhere between 3 hours and 5 hours.

Either side of that, contact me and I'll give you some other options.

How do I access the program once I have purchased it?

You'll be immediately redirected to the private members area, www.intelligent-running.com, where you will be invited to register a username and password.

When you log in, all the information you need is presented in a logical way. Although the members site makes it easier to watch the videos and read the programs, you are free to download all the content onto your computer if you prefer.

Do I have to be ready to start the program immediately?

Nope, you can start as soon as you're ready. It's a 16 week program, so count back from your race day and that's when you want to start. However, you can buy the program and start getting your head around it right away.

Ideally you should aim to have a week or 2 of easy running before starting Week 1 to make sure your body is rested and ready to embark on the adventure.

Don't forget, as soon as join you'll get access to the famous private iRunning Facebook group ;)

Do I have to do the body conditioning program as well or can I just run?

Of course you don't have to do the conditioning program, but I can highly recommend that you do. Even if you just do the mobilisers and stability drills, it will make a big difference to how robust you are as a runner, reducing your chances of injury.